Lisa Palmes studied Polish language and German linguistics at Humboldt University in Berlin betwen 2001 and 2007 and translates Polish literature into German since 2008. Some of her most important translations are: Wojciech Jagielski, Wanderer der Nacht (Nocni wędrowcy [The Night Wanderers]); Joanna Bator, Dunkel, fast Nacht (Ciemno, prawie noc [Dark, Almost Night]); Jacek Leociak, Text und Holocaust. Die Erfahrung des Ghettos in Zeugnissen und literarischen Entwürfen
(Tekst wobec Zagłady [Text and Holocaust]). Together with Lothar Quinkenstein she translated Olga Tokarczuk's Jakobsbücher in 2019.
In 2017 she was awarded the Karl-Dedecius-Preis for German Translators of Polish Literature. In 2019 she was awarded for her translation of Filip Springer's literary reportage Kupferberg. Die verschwundene Stadt (Miedzianka. Historia znikania [Miedzianka: Story of Disappearing]): Both author and translator were awarded a double prize of the Polish literary award Karkonoska Nagroda Literacka.